A stamp pad impregnated with ink has been used for centuries as an ink reservoir. The ink contained in the pad can be applied to a rubber stamp and transferred to a desired surface, such as a paper document. Traditionally, these stamp pads supplied a single drab color of ink, such as basic red, blue or black, and the stamp contained a word or symbol peculiar to a workplace environment, such as the well known USDA stamp that is found on meat and the stamps found on various office papers. In such situations, it is typical to have a stamp pad containing only a single color of ink.
Over the last several decades, the use of stamp pads as artistic devices has grown dramatically. Such stamp pads typically contain a bright, cheery color, or a color peculiar to a particular season, such as orange for Halloween. The stamp used with the stamp pad has evolved with this artistic trend, and often now conveys a personal message or an artistic symbol, such as a flower. The advent of artistic stamp pads has also led to the production of stamp pads containing multiple colors of ink in a single pad. Such a multi-hued pad is created by placing a series of linear strips of pad in a side-by-side relation, with each strip having a different color. Examples of these types of stamp pads are set forth in the Tsukineko 1993 Catalog, as well as catalogs available from other stamp pad manufacturers and dealers. In another embodiment, as shown in British patent No. 4940, the stamp pads have multiple sections divided by raised ridges.
However, the linear-strip arrangement and raised dividing ridges of these stamp pads do not allow the user, at his or her option, to use a single stamp and stamp pad to transfer anywhere from one to a large multitude of colors. Accordingly, there has gone unmet the need for a stamp pad that empowers a user apply a stamp in a single place to transfer a single color of ink, or, when desired, to apply the stamp in a single place and transfer up to five, ten, or more colors. The present invention provides these and other related advantages.